This Conference  is  intended  to  demonstrate  that  the  quality  of  the  built  environment  is  of fundamental  importance  to  the  achievement  of  sustainable  growth  and  development  in Europe. It is therefore necessary that equal attention is devoted to the three pillars of sustainable
development,  social,  economic  and  environmental,  with  culture  as  a  cross-cutting  and essential element as underlined, on several occasions, by Mr José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, who has given his patronage to the Conference.

SOCIAL

Architecture and added value  : Acknowledging other, non-monetary values
What is the real value of architecture to the consumer  ? Showing that better architecture brings with it better results, notably in schools and workplaces and that the whole community beneits both in the short-term and long-term.

Quality of life and the production of wealth  : The advantages of social investment
An analysis of quality in the broadest sense, of wealth in terms other than that of income.

ECONOMY

Construction for the long-term  : Set a new timescale to understand real costs
The evaluation of the built environment must be in terms of real value, based on a set of criteria that  include  the  lifelong cost of  the project. Highlighting  the signiicant shortcomings  that arise between a short-term political view and the need to work for the long-term.

Procurement and quality  : Define guidelines for fair practice  in order to protect public interest
This theme will look at the question of procurement, questioning the link between different forms of contract and the objectives targeted in relation to the quality of architectural projects.

ENVIRONMENT

Space as a limited element  : Define the field of sustainability
Faced with an exponential growth  in urban areas, how can proper management of space and resources be achieved and, in particular, what speciic contribution can architectural policy and practice bring to this endeavour  ?

CULTURE

Architecture as a cross-cutting element in territorial and urban policies  : Integrated approaches for public interest
Several recent important EU political documents recognise that architectural quality plays a useful role in contributing to the improvement of the attractiveness of cities and regions and is a factor of social cohesion. The citizen must be put (back) at the centre of future policies. The true horizontal
nature of culture, of which architecture is one of the most tangible and lasting expressions, has to be recognised.